The critical question for our generation–and for every generation–is this:  If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends that you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there?

I’m living for the reality of a generation rising that will forsake all else for the sake of knowing Him.  I’m exceedingly zealous toward that end.  All over the earth people are arising who are saying, “Nothing is right, nothing is worthy, nothing is entertaining enough for me without the person of Christ.”

Is the church to be relegated to the buildings in which we gather and the ceremonies that we perform, or will we once again connect to Jesus and begin to transform the world from the inside out.  I believe it’s already happening.

1) To draw near to the Lord.  We love prayer and fasting here at the Revolution Brigade.  We pray for revival.  We fast for the Lord to raise up an army of young people who will be totally sold out for the cause.  But, the revival is not the reward for prayer and fasting.  The movement is not the reward.  The reward is the intimacy with Jesus that we get from removing the barriers of the flesh from between us and Him.   Revival and the Militant Faith Movement are just nice byproducts of our awesome relationship with Jesus.  Radical Christianity is more about the King than it is about the Kingdom.

2) Raise a Prophetic Army. We believe that it is the Lord’s desire to raise an end-time prophetic army that will burn with a pure passion and devotion to His cause.  We believe that this army of prayer warriors will be instrumental in ushering in the coming of Christ because of their fanatical devotion to the bridegroom God.  We exist to recruit, train, and equip the forward-most elements of this army.  Radical Christianity is about strapping on your combat boots and doing something for God.

3) Expeditionary Love. We eat, sleep, and breathe a love for the nations.  We desire to see the knowledge of God’s glory fill the whole Earth, as the water covers the seas.  We will get “expeditionary” in our love for the nations.  In other words, we’ll go places and do things that will cause the nations to turn to Christ.  We’re raising an Army.  Armies fight.  We will contend for the nations through crack squads of intercessory masters, raised up and equipped through the anointing of the Holy Spirit for world-changing prayer.  Radical Christianity is about exporting God’s love to the entire world.

4) Awaken a sleeping generation.  If the Revolution Brigade is the “spiritual special forces” of the coming Nazarite Army, then the rest of the generation will be the general infantry.  We believe that this generation is the “valley of bones” spoken of in Ezekiel chapter 37, and we are prophesying to them to wake up, stand up, and receive flesh.  The world sees dry bones, but we see an army.  Radical Christianity is about seeing with the Lord’s eyes and believing in people.

You don’t know who you’re messing with.  This thing is for real.  The Militant Faith Movement is on the scene.

“Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. (One day) the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.” (Acts 19:13-16)

Whew. That’s a pretty graphic account of attempted spiritual warfare gone wrong. This is an example of what happens when people attempt to fight against the enemy on their own power.

In Matthew 28:18, Jesus says, ” And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Notice that the power to prosecute and win spiritual battles was given to Jesus, not to us. We can vicariously exercise that power through our relationship with Jesus, but never in and of our own strength.

There can be no victory without a relationship with Jesus. The extent to which you are intimate with the Lord is the extent to which you will be capable of defeating the enemy.

In Ephesians 6:10 Paul says, ” Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” You’ll notice that we are required to be strong “in” the Lord. Your strength for spiritual battle lies in Jesus. The power and the might that you need in order to win are “his” power and might.

Read Ephesians 1:19-23 and you’ll see this, “and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might….And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Again, you can see that God has given all authority and power to Jesus, and that the only way that we can access that power is to “believe,” which is, to have a relationship with Jesus.

How to build a relationship with Jesus:

1) Study the word. If I wanted to make friends with a person who had written a book, I would be sure to read the book. Why? Because a person’s writing can give you insights into the way that he thinks, and can tell you things about his personality. How much more then should we desire to study the Word of God knowing that the Holy Spirit will actually bring the words to life as we study and teach us the hidden wisdom of God?

2) Spend time with Jesus. What I’m talking about here is prayer. Spend time every day talking with Jesus. If you and I were to talk for a period of time every day, you’d eventually grow to know a lot about me.. The same is true of your relationship with Jesus. Make sure that you spend time listening and not just talking. Allow the holy spirit to speak to you.

Check out these other scriptures about the power that God gives us. Look for threads about how intimacy is important to attaining that power:

Ephesians 3:20

Colossians 1:16

2 Timothy 1:7

Check out our other Basic Training Articles:

Basic Training: Faith

Basic Training: Grace

Basic Training: Sanctification